


The Bet

by thatwriterlady



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Best Friends, Bisexual Dean, Bisexuality, Castiel Has a Crush on Dean Winchester, Castiel and Dean make a bet, Castiel falls in love with Dean, Castiel pines over Dean Winchester, Coming Out, Dean eventually returns, Dean moves away, Feelings, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Castiel, Gay Male Character, Happy Ending, Human Castiel, M/M, Mention at end of bullying that occurred as a child, Revelations, So fluffy your teeth might rot out, Teenagers, extreme sadness, loss of friends, mention of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-06
Updated: 2016-04-06
Packaged: 2018-05-31 15:05:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6475051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatwriterlady/pseuds/thatwriterlady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas and Dean had been best friends forever.  In sixth grade Cas realized he had a crush on his best friend.  Dean was ok with it though.  He wasn't willing to give up his best friend over something as silly as a crush.  In seventh grade, while passing notes in class and fooling around, Cas make a bet with Dean.  He bets him $20 that one day they'll be married.  Dean scoffs at the very idea.  No way would he marry Cas!  Always up for a challenge, Dean accepts the bet.</p><p>It's game on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a prompt, I did not come up with the prompt, it was given to me. I want to point out a couple of things in this story:
> 
> 1\. I set it back a bit in time, circa the late 80's/early 90's, the be more specific, so you won't see mentioning of internet until much later.
> 
> 2\. There is mention of depression in this story. It's difficult to have a best friend for most of your life, and then suddenly that friend is no longer there. It will be very hard on both boys. 
> 
>  
> 
> I set the comments to be moderated because I've had fights errupt on my stories before and frankly, I don't like that. It causes me to suffer panic attacks and stress out unnecessarily, so I took the advice of a friend and now I moderate comments. I hope you all can understand.
> 
>  
> 
> I hope you like the story.

[](http://www.pizap.com/image/707476471pizapw1459929029.jpg)  
[](http://www.pizap.com/u/707476471) on [piZap.com](http://www.pizap.com)

 

**7th Grade- The Bet**

“Cas! Wait up!”

Cas stopped and turned around to see his best friend, Dean, running down the hall after him. He smiled and waited for the other boy to catch up to him.

“Hi, Dean.” 

“You still coming over tonight?” Dean was slightly out of breath from running but he fell in step with his friend as they started walking again.

“Of course. You got the new Final Fantasy, right? We have to break it in. You _did_ wait for me, right?” Cas cocked one eyebrow at the other boy.

“Yeah, I waited. I almost didn’t, but I wouldn’t do that to you. I made you a promise. I keep my promises,” Dean said. Cas smiled.

“Good, cause I’m really looking forward to that game.”

“It’s going to be epic.” Dean’s smile was cheesy, but it was one Cas loved to see.

“I’ll see you at lunch?” Cas said as they came to a stop outside his English class. Dean nodded.

“You bet. You brought chips, right?”

“You know I did,” Cas grinned. 

“I brought grapes, just like you asked,” Dean said. Cas smiled at his friend. Dean always went out of his way to bring things he liked for their lunch, and they always shared.

“Awesome. So I’ll see you later. Get moving before you’re late to math.”

Dean groaned. “I hate math.” 

“I know. But you’ll be glad you paid attention and passed it later. Bye, Dean.”

“Bye, Cas.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Cas, you wanna come over tonight and watch a movie?” Meg was twirling a lock of her long, dark hair around one finger as she leaned over his desk. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide and hopeful. He knew she’d had a crush on him most of the year, but the feeling was not mutual. His heart belonged to someone else. It always had.

“Sorry, I’m going over to Dean’s.” He offered a sympathetic smile, but it didn’t placate her. She dropped into her seat in front of him with a pout.

“Why are you always with him? I could be your girlfriend, you know. I happen to _like_ you.”

Cas sighed. It wasn’t the first time she’d tried to play the girlfriend card. “He’s my best friend. And…I don’t really want a girlfriend.” He hoped she wouldn’t take that to mean he didn’t want her specifically. Really, it was all girls. She glared at him for a moment before turning around in her seat and ignoring him completely. It was actually a relief. That meant she wasn’t going to flirt and try to pass him notes all during class. 

After English he made his way to social studies, and then to music. After gym came lunch, and he found Dean easily. They made their way to the table where their friends were sitting. Meg was suspiciously absent. 

“So Mr. Martin gave us a pop quiz. Like really, who gives a pop quiz in math? It’s pure evil!” Dean complained. Cas snickered around a bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dean hated math and never missed an opportunity to complain about it. Pop quizzes in math weren’t a problem for him though, he was in advanced math and was already in pre-algebra. Mr. Martin rarely ever gave them quizzes and when he did, Cas always aced them.

“I think you’ll live, Dean. It’s not like you don’t know the answers. You always get A’s and B’s,” Charlie said. She had math class with Dean and knew that most of his whining was just for show. Dean did well enough in the class.

“Just cause I knew them doesn’t mean I was ready. He just hates us.” Dean took a bite of his bologna sandwich and grumbled. Cas nudged him and offered the bag of chips. Dean immediately smiled and reached in to grab a couple. He slid his bag of grapes closer and Cas snagged a few.

“Did you do your social studies homework? Cas asked.

“Yes, I got it done yesterday at the doctor’s office while I waited for Sammy to be done. Mom took him in for that bug bite he got on his leg. It got infected cause he wouldn’t stop scratching it,” Dean replied. 

“It was boring playing Sonic without you,” Cas told him.

“Why, did you miss him?” Charlie teased. Cas blushed and looked down at the grapes sitting on the table in front of him.

“Leave him alone,” Dean warned. Cas smiled to himself as Dean defended him. He knew his friend didn’t like other kids messing with him. 

“So, what are you guys doing this weekend?” Benny asked. Everyone knew Cas and Dean were a package deal. If you wanted to spend time with one of them, you had to accept the fact that the other one was going to be there too. It was a good thing they shared most of the same friends.

“Kicking Cas’ butt at Final Fantasy. Then my dad’s taking us out for pizza and ice cream Saturday night,” Dean said.

“Oh, sweet! Did you get the new game?” Charlie was dying to get it, but her parents didn’t like their only child playing video games. If only they knew how much she played them when she was over at her friends’ houses.

“Yep. And Cas is going to be the first person to play with me,” Dean replied proudly. He nudged Cas with his shoulder and the other boy grinned.

“I’m so excited. I’ve waited a year for this one,” Cas added.

“I want to play!” Charlie complained.

“How about you come by Sunday? We can play all together,” Dean offered.

“Hey, me too!” Benny cried.

“Yeah, of course, dude. We’ll make a day of it,” Dean said.

The lunch bell rang, signaling that they had five minutes left. They all scrambled to finish the rest of their food before cleaning up their messes and heading to their next classes. Dean and Cas had social studies together next period, and they sat together. They made their way to class, chatting about the disgusting infection in Sam’s leg and how the doctor had to drain it and give his brother a shot. Dean said his brother had cried. Cas chastised him for laughing at his little brother. Once they were in their seats, they immediately fell silent. Mrs. Savolis had a zero tolerance policy for talking. If you were caught talking without her explicit permission you were asking for a detention. This was the class where they usually just passed notes. This particular time Dean instigated it. He shoved the piece of paper at Cas.

_“I’m sooooo bored”_

Cas tried to hide his grin as he wrote back.

_“You wouldn’t be if you paid attention”_

Dean snorted and quickly replied.

_“I AM paying attention. I know who Rasputin is. See? I can even spell his name!”_

Cas glanced over to see the look of mischief in his friend’s eyes. Such a vibrant green already, but they were even greener when he was doing something he shouldn’t be doing, like passing notes. Cas shook his head as he wrote.

_“Did you know he was considered to be a psychic, among other things?”_

_“Of course I did. Wait, what’s a psychic?”_

Cas bit down on his lower lip to stifle a laugh. The teacher called on him, and he answered without hesitation since he knew all the material already. Once her attention was off of him, he wrote back.

_“A psychic is someone who can see the future”_

Dean made a sound that Cas took to mean that he understood. He scribbled something down and slid the paper back to him.

_“My dad says people that say they’re psychics are just sharly tons. He says they’re fakes. No one can predict the future”_

Cas frowned for a moment as he read his friend’s words, and then he was writing back.

_“I bet you I can tell the future”_

Dean actually scoffed, earning him a warning look from the teacher. He quickly quieted. He shot Cas a look before grabbing the paper and writing on it.

_“Oh yeah? Then predict something”_

Cas looked at his friend for a moment. Dean was beautiful, all sun-kissed skin, freckles, long lashes and forest green eyes that Cas wanted to just get lost in. For only being twelve, the boy was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life. For well over a year now he’d had a crush on his best friend. Dean knew about it, and he didn’t care. Cas was his best friend, and he wasn’t doing anything to jeopardize losing him. He pulled the paper back over and wrote something on it.

_“I predict that we’re going to get married someday”_

God how he wished that were true! He loved Dean in a way that was so different from how he loved his parents or his siblings. He almost didn’t slide the paper back over, but Dean’s fingers were snatching it before he could stop him. Dean’s lips pursed together as he read the single line. He tapped his pen against his lips for a moment before writing back.

_“Liar. I knew you wasn’t really a psychic”_

For some reason that hurt to see those words on the paper. Even though Cas knew Dean didn’t feel the same way about him that he felt about Dean, it still stung. Still, it felt a little bit like a challenge, and it was one that he wanted to rise to, so he did.

_“I bet you $20 I’m right. Someday we’re going to get married”_

Dean snatched the paper back, one eyebrow arching high as he read Cas’ response. He wrote something back, this time underlining it.

_“You’re on!”_

Cas smiled at his friend, and to his delight, Dean smiled back. Even if he lost this bet, he’d still have Dean in his life, so it wasn’t a total loss.


	3. Chapter 3

**8th Grade Graduation**

“Come here, let me fix your gown.” Dean’s mother was fussing over him, straightening his gown and cap as they walked across the parking lot towards the gym.

“Mom, it’s fine!” Dean whined as he tried to get out of reach. She just moved faster, swinging the tassels on his cap to the other side of his head and fixing his right sleeve.

“Honey, leave the boy alone, he’s stressed out enough as it is.” John chuckled when his wife pouted and fell back a few steps, allowing Dean to hurry off in search of Cas. He slipped through the open side door and into the gymnasium and they followed. They all knew that was exactly where he was heading. 

“I can’t believe he’s graduating eighth grade,” Mary said as they made their way to the front row of folding chairs and found three seats together. John pushed Sam in ahead of himself so the boy would be between them. It was the best way to keep him from fidgeting.

“He’s growing up. I’m darned proud of him for graduating on the gold honor roll,” John said as they sat down.

“I’m sure Cas had a lot to do with that,” Mary laughed softly. “He won’t let Dean slack, he never has.”

John nodded in agreement. He knew that was true.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Cas! Cas!” Dean wove through his classmates in search of that familiar head of messy hair he knew belonged to his best friend, but he still didn’t see him anywhere.

“He’s over there, with Meg,” Charlie piped up. Dean turned to see the redhead standing with a couple of girls he recognized from his classes. They all flashed him their most winning smile, but he was too busy feeling something in his chest that he had never experienced before. It was hot and uncomfortable, and he didn’t like it one bit. He knew Meg had a major crush on Cas, and Dean didn’t like her at all. Charlie was pointing to the corner by the stairs to the stage and sure enough, there was Cas. And there was Meg, smiling and flirting as usual. He stomped over to them with arms crossed and fire in his eyes.

“Oh, hey, Dean. You finally got here,” Cas greeted him.

“Yeah, Sam didn’t want to let mom brush his hair. She almost called my grandma to come and watch him.” Dean moved closer until he was almost shoulder to shoulder with the other boy. Meg didn’t really seemed fazed by it. She was still making heart eyes at Cas.

“Well, I guess we had better find our seats.” Dean nudged his friend, and Cas nodded in agreement.

“Oh, yes, you’re right. The ceremony will be starting soon.” 

Cas said goodbye to Meg and followed Dean to the student seating area. They wouldn’t be sitting anywhere near each other, not when everyone had to sit in alphabetical order, but at least Dean could see Cas’ seat from his own.

“See you when we’re freshmen,” Cas said with a grin as he stepped into the row where his own seat was.

“Heck yeah!” Dean cried before turning to find his own seat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ceremony itself was pretty dull. The principal blabbered on about rights of passage and the excitement that they would all feel as they started on the next chapter of their lives: High School. Dean was struggling to stay awake through it, and every time he looked up he could see Cas talking with Curtis Nolan who sat next to him. At least Cas had someone to talk to. Christy Yang didn’t like Dean and was pointedly ignoring him, just like she’d been doing since third grade when he dipped the ends of her braids in blue paint. When names finally started to get called, he paid attention, cheering loudly when each of his friends got called up. When Cas’ name was finally called, he cheered even louder. His classmates laughed, knowing how Dean was when it came to Cas. Cas blushed as he accepted his diploma and hurried back to his seat. He turned around in his seat and gave Dean a huge, toothy grin and a thumbs up. Dean did the same in return.

They finally got to the last row, where Dean was sitting, and he wanted to sob with relief. He was so bored that he’d been dozing off through most of the event. His row stood up and single file, walked to the stairs that led to the stage. One by one their names were called and when he stepped up on the stage, he heard all of his friends burst into cheers. What made him happiest was hearing Cas’ voice over everyone else’s. He accepted his diploma and turned to single out his best friend in the crowd. Waving the diploma in the air earned him louder cheers. Cas gave him another thumbs up, and that right there gave Dean more motivation than any kind words from his teachers, his principal, or even his parents. Cas believed in him and knew that he would succeed. And he believed in Cas. They would conquer high school together and go on to get awesome jobs doing things they loved. Everything was right in the world.


	4. Chapter 4

**FRESHMAN YEAR**

Dean was pacing in his room, waiting on Cas to show up. His friend was never late, but as he glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand he could see that it was twenty seven minutes past the time when Cas had promised to be there. If they didn’t hurry they would miss the seven o’clock showing and have to get the tickets to see the nine thirty, and his mom was less inclined to drive them that late. 

“Come on, Cas…” He sighed as he fell back onto his bed. Just as he was giving up hope, his bedroom door flew open and Cas came running in. The boy was trying desperately to catch his breath and he bent over double, resting his hands on his knees as he struggled to get air. 

“Where the heck were you?!” Dean cried as he jumped off the bed. 

“My mom…” Cas gasped. “Had her book club…” He took a breath in through his nose and forced himself to exhale slowly. “And Meg’s mom is in her club. So Meg tagged along.” He looked at Dean in disgust. “She wouldn’t leave me alone. I finally had to get mean with her to get her out of my room so I could change. I don’t understand why she doesn’t get it when I tell her I’m not interested.” 

Dean felt that strange heat in his chest again at the very thought of Meg being up in Cas’ room. Who told her she could go up there? Why did Cas let her in? What was she doing that she wouldn’t leave? All of this and a million other questions raced through his head as he snagged his coat out of his closet and steered Cas out of his room. It was already six forty and they would be late if they didn’t hurry. Downstairs they found Mary at the kitchen table with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. She looked up when they walked in. 

“Time to go?” 

“Yep, and we have to hurry because the movie starts in fifteen minutes!” Dean was already backing out of the room and towards the front door. 

"Alright. Get your brother,” she said as she set the book down and got up. Dean hurried into the living room where Sam was sprawled out on the couch watching a movie. 

“Come on, we have to go,” he said. Sam looked up, squinting in confusion. 

“Where are we going?” he asked. 

“Mom has to give me and Cas a ride, and you gotta come with.” Dean turned off the television which made his brother squawk in indignation. 

“No! It’s cold out, I don’t want to go!” Sam crossed his arms and glared at his brother. 

“Too bad, dork. Mom’s rules. Let’s move!” 

“No!” Sam shouted. The kid could be ten shades of stubborn when he wanted to be. With a growl Dean grabbed his little brother and threw him over his shoulder. He ignored his brother’s protests and the small fists that were pummeling his back as he headed for the door. 

“Hey Cas, grab my brother’s shoes, would you? And his coat.” 

Cas laughed at his friend but did as he was asked. 

“Put your brother down,” Mary complained. She was already on the porch waiting but frowned when she saw Dean with Sam still gripped in a firefighter hold. 

“Not til we’re in the car. He’s trying to be a butthead and didn’t want to go.” Dean marched down to the car while his brother screamed and wailed in his arms. 

“That’s enough, Samuel,” Mary said firmly. The little boy’s arms dropped and he looked up at his mother with a furrowed brow and his lower lip jutting out. 

“Everyone, in the car. Now!” she ordered. 

Cas and Sam sat in the backseat together where Sam grumbled under his breath as he put on his shoes and coat. Dean rode up front with his mother, talking happily with her and Cas about the movie they were going to go see. Charlie had raved about it, and they were both eager to see it too. The drive was blessedly short and a few minutes later the boys were being dropped off in front of the movie theater. 

“Why can’t I go with?” Sam whined. The kid was grating on Dean’s last nerve and Mary knew it. 

“Because it’s not meant for little boys. How about you and me go home and have some ice cream?” she asked her younger son. He crossed his arms and glared at the back of the driver’s seat. 

“Go have fun, and I’ll be back out here when it’s over to pick you both up. Cas, are you spending the night?” Mary asked. 

“Yes, if that’s alright. My mom already said it was,” he replied. She nodded. 

“That’s fine, I just wanted to know whether or not I had to drive you home tonight. Bye, boys.” She waved as she pulled away from the curb. Dean was already running for the doors and Cas hurried after him. 

They got their tickets, popcorn, and soda with five minutes to spare, and found seats just as the previews were starting. Dean was already chowing down on the popcorn as usual and Cas picked at it as they watched the first couple that played across the screen. When a preview for a new romantic comedy came on, Cas took the opportunity to look over at Dean. It was one of his favorite things to do when his friend wasn’t paying attention. Even in the darkened theater Dean was gorgeous. In the flashes of light from the screen Cas could see Dean’s long lashes and full lips. His friend had changed a lot over the last year. The baby fat was gone now, replaced by a lean body and firm muscles, and Cas loved the moments when he was able to touch Dean, even if it was just a bump to the shoulder or a hand on his arm. Now, as they ate popcorn their hands brushed from time to time, and when it happened their eyes would meet over the top of the bucket and they would smile at each other. It was the little things like this that made Cas’ heart swell. This went far beyond just a simple crush for him. He was in love with Dean, and he knew he always would be. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Most weekends Cas spent the night at the Winchester house. It was safe for him there, away from his own older brothers who loved to pick on him and pull pranks on him every chance they got. At Dean’s house he didn’t have to worry that someone had slipped earthworms in his shoes or put itching powder in his boxers. He could really relax and just enjoy himself. This was his home away from home, and he loved it. They would watch movies, play video games, wrestle, whatever came to mind, and they were never bored when in one another’s company. 

It was the summer between their freshman and sophomore year when they were down at the lake that Cas decided he could trust Dean with his deepest, darkest secret. They were stretched out on their towels, soaking up the summer sun after spending the better part of the afternoon swimming. Cas kept glancing over at Dean as he tried to work up the nerve to tell his best friend what had been weighing heavily on his mind the last few months. Dean could always sense when he was nervous or upset though, so when he sat up on his elbows and narrowed his eyes at him, Cas knew his friend was on to him. 

“What has you fidgeting so much? Do you think I don’t see you looking over at me every two minutes? There’s something bugging you, so spill.” 

Cas sighed and draped an arm over his face. The sun had already passed overhead so he knew Dean could see him clearly. “I don’t want you to hate me.” 

Dean rolled his eyes before punching his friend in the arm. “I’m not going to hate you. Just tell me already.” 

“Ow!” Cas dropped his arm so he could rub at his other one where he’d just been punched. “You didn’t have to hit me!” 

“Don’t be a wuss. What’s on your mind? Is this because you like guys?” Dean turned on his side so that he was facing Cas. Cas sighed again but looked up at a cloud floating overhead rather than at Dean. 

“I-I got asked out. It got me thinking.” He was still trying to figure out the right way to word things. 

“Who asked you out?” Dean tried not to sound demanding, or show that it upset him knowing Cas had been asked out. 

“Stephanie Holland, from my French class. Pretty girl, curly red hair?” Cas dared a glance over at the other boy and saw Dean staring intently at him. 

“Anyway, I said no.” 

“Ok…” Dean was waiting to see where he was going with this. 

“Dean, I don’t like girls,” Cas said. 

“Like, at all?” Dean asked. 

“Right. Not at all.” 

Dean was quiet for a long time. It was making Cas uncomfortable so he finally turned to look at the other boy and found him staring out across the water. 

“Do you hate me?” he asked in a small voice. Dean turned back to look at him. 

“No way. I mean, I’ve known for a long time that you liked guys. I didn’t know that meant you didn’t like girls at all. So, what, you’re gay then?? 

Cas nodded slowly. “Yeah. Are you ok with that?” 

Dean smiled wide and punched him in the arm again. “Dude, I don’t care, you’re my best friend in the world.” 

Cas felt like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders as he smiled back. 

“Oh, good. I was afraid you wouldn’t want to be my friend anymore.” 

Dean blew air out and waved his friend off. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.” 

Cas chuckled and looked up at the clouds again. “Yeah, well, I’m still going to win that bet. I want my twenty dollars.” 

Dean cocked his head in confusion. “What bet?” 

Cas rolled his eyes before looking over at him again. “Seventh grade? I told you I could see the future?” 

Dean nodded in understanding as a huge grin broke out on his face. “Nah, you’ll be paying me, dude.” 

Cas still felt that ache in his chest at Dean’s denial, but he wasn’t going to back down that easily. His smile was smug as he responded to his friend. 

“Oh, no, I’m going to win that one.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**SOPHOMORE YEAR**

“No, no, no! We can’t leave! No! I’m not going!” Dean’s chest grew tight as the panic washed over him, and he began to wheeze. “No!”

Mary looked worriedly at John, whose own expression was rather grim. John had debated the last few years on whether he wanted to retire from the Marines, but when his time was up, he’d decided to re-enlist, except this time it came with a promotion. And a job in Germany of all places. Early in their marriage, before the boys had come along, Mary had followed John all over. They had lived in no less than twenty different states and four different countries before she became pregnant with Dean. They had decided when Dean was old enough to start school that their children needed stability, so Mary took their sons back to their home state of Kansas, and in between John’s deployments and assignments, he would come home to be with them. It had worked for fifteen years, but now he was being promoted to major, and it came with a nice pay raise as well as excellent benefits, but he didn’t want to be overseas for the next four years while his family was here in Kansas. After many late night conversations with his wife over what was best for their family, they decided that moving the whole family to Germany was in their best interest. The problem now was that they were uprooting their sons’ lives, tearing them away from everything they had ever known, and everyone that was important in their lives. For Dean, that meant Charlie, Benny, Cas. For Sam that meant his best friend Kevin and his friends David and Joey. It really came as no surprise that Dean was reacting the way he was. He’d never been away from Cas since he was five years old.

“Dean, it’s not forever. We will come back as soon as the assignment is over.” John said, careful to keep his tone calm.

“But our house, my friends, school… _Cas_!” The boy was wheezing so bad now they knew he was going to pass out soon. Mary was on her feet and hauling Dean up and out of his seat.

“Get the car, John. We’re taking him to the hospital,” she said firmly. He could hear the worry in his wife’s voice so he listened without argument and went to get the car out of the garage. Just as he got it out, Mary came out onto the porch with Dean, her arm around his waist as she tried to hold him up. Sam followed behind, his face wet with tears. John jumped out and hurried up the stairs to scoop his son up into his arms. The boy’s wheezing was down to a whistle now, and it was terrifying. He put his son in the front seat and Mary got in next to him while Sam got in the backseat. John slid in behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway. He put the car in gear and raced down the street towards the hospital. This move to Germany was already more stress than he needed in his life.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After sufficiently scaring the hell out of his parents, Dean was finally released from the hospital after almost six hours. He’d been given a mild sedative to calm him down and then he was monitored as he slept it off. The drive back to the house was a quiet one and as soon as they saw their house in the distance, they could make out a figure sitting on the steps. 

“Cas!” Dean cried. John pulled into the driveway and decided that for tonight at least, the car could just sit where it was. Dean was already out of the car before John even had it in park and running up the stairs to his friend. He threw his arms around the other boy and hugged him tight. Sam followed after, joining the other boys in the hug.

“We’re affecting more than just our family by leaving. This has to be handled right so it’s a positive experience for the boys,” Mary said to her husband. They hadn’t gotten out of the car yet. From where they sat they knew Dean was telling Cas the news because now he was crying just as hard as Dean and Sam.

“I can’t turn it down, Mar. I don’t have that option. And it’s not forever.” John tried to buy into the logic he had been feeding himself. “I want this promotion and the pay that comes with it. We need the money.”

“I know, honey. I’m just worried about how hard this is going to be on the boys. Especially on Dean. Sam, he’ll adapt pretty quickly, but Dean is stubborn. We both know how close he and Cas are. This is devastating. To a teenager, even a year apart is a lifetime, and we’re asking him to give up no less than the next three years of his to move to a country that he doesn’t even speak the language. We can’t keep him away from Cas, even if they’re across the ocean from each other. It would destroy them both,” she said softly. John knew she was right. He reached over and took his wife’s hand.

“Those two, they have something special, don’t they.” It wasn’t a question. Anyone with two eyes could see how much Dean meant to Cas, and how much Cas meant to Dean. “I’m retiring after this is up. I want to come back here and live the rest of my days in this house.”

“I look forward to that day. Now, let’s go and help our children adjust to the idea and start figuring out exactly what it is that we’re doing about the house and all of our stuff.” Mary squeezed his hand before getting out of the car. She was right. They had a lot to deal with before they left, and John was not looking forward to any of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**ALONE**

 

Cas was alone. It was like the other half of his soul was gone and he was adrift, just moving numbly from one day to the next, not quite aware of what was going on around him. The first day back at school without Dean had been awkward, to say the least. He missed his friend so much that his heart physically hurt, and his mother, worried for his health, had taken him to see a doctor. The doctor had diagnosed him with depression and put him on medication that she made sure he took every single day but so far, it wasn’t helping. There was an empty hole inside of him that couldn’t be filled, and he didn’t want it filled. 

Lunch turned out to be just awkward when he instinctively looked for a head of dark blonde hair and came up empty. Day after day he did this, until he just stopped coming to the cafeteria at all. Charlie sought him out, worried for his well-being, and found him out on the football field, watching the various school teams practice, depending on what time of year it was. Of all the friends he’d shared with Dean, it became apparent rather quickly that they were more of Dean’s friends than his own, because once Dean was gone the offers to come over and watch movies or play video games with anyone but Charlie disappeared. No one wanted to spend time with him, save for her, and he was grateful that she hadn’t abandoned him too. He didn’t know what he would have done if everyone he had once considered a friend had shut him out. They would sit together in silence, watching whatever was happening on the field as they ate their lunches. Charlie would lean her head on his shoulder, and he would lay his head atop hers. She kept him sane during a time when all he wanted to do was go to sleep and never wake up.

The letters he received from Dean were the only other thing that kept him going. At first they were full of pain, and Cas knew his friend was hurting just as much as he was. Dean griped about the food, about traditions, about the music, the weather, about anything that wasn’t Kansas. Over and over again Dean would tell him how much he missed him, and it made Cas’ heart ache even more. Still, the letters never stopped. All through their sophomore year and into that summer they wrote, and Dean would call late at night on Saturdays and despite the long distance, they would talk for hours. Both boys even took on jobs so they could foot the bill themselves, but Cas needed to hear his friend’s voice, needed to hear the way Dean said his name, how he would tell him how much he missed him, and how much he was hating Germany, even if Sam had grown to love it and their mom was even enjoying her time there. Dean refused to give the country a chance, no matter how much his parents begged.

In their third year of high school Dean met a girl. Her father was a Marine and worked with his dad, and she became his only friend. Cas had worried himself to the point of getting sick that Dean would fall in love with this girl, but as it turned out, she was missing her boyfriend back in the states and they would sit and play video games, complaining about their fathers’ jobs and how much they hated having their entire lives uprooted because of it. Dean told Cas all about his studies, and how he had been forced to learn at least some German just so he could read signs and talk to people. Sure, most spoke English, but not all, and on their regular Saturday phone calls Dean would teach Cas whatever new words he had learned. It was Dean’s favorite thing in the world to learn swear words, and Cas got a kick out of using them.

Cas told Dean that to fill the empty void in his life, he had joined the theatre, and he was really enjoying it. He’d mostly stuck to costume design but then he’d gotten a part in the school’s adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. It wasn’t a big role, but he was excited. Charlie was in the theatre with him and had a small role as well, opposite his character. He told Dean he felt less stress knowing that he would be performing with her rather than someone he wasn’t as comfortable with. Dean had insisted that the entire play be recorded and sent to him because he wanted to see his best friend’s acting debut. It made Cas happy knowing Dean cared enough to want to see it and support him, even if it was long distance. He got roles in three more plays that year, and Dean was sent copies of each one. Dean was proud of him and made sure he always knew that.

The summer between their third and fourth year was a busy one for Cas. He had a full-time job, but every night he sat down to write to Dean. They had made a pact to send at least three letters every week to one another, plus have their phone call. No matter what they were doing, they made the time for each other. Cas told Dean about his job stocking shelves at the grocery store by his house and Dean told him about his job at a café near the base. 

Senior year started and Cas was stressing out over the applications he had put in to colleges all over the country. Just for good measure he’d even applied to three in Europe on the off chance he could get into one and be close to Dean again. Dean admitted that he had already been accepted to a university in England and was seriously thinking of going. It broke Cas’ heart to hear him say that, but Dean promised that once he was completely done with school, he was coming home and nothing would ever make him leave again.

When Cas got accepted to Berkeley, Stanford _and_ Harvard, he was over the moon. He wrote a long, detailed letter to his friend to ask him his advice and what he recommended.

_“Follow your heart, Cas. Go where it tells you to go.”_

__That had been Dean’s advice._ _

__“But my heart tells me to find you and never let you go.” He sighed to himself as he read Dean’s return letter. On occasion he wondered if Dean ever thought of their bet. It was such a silly thing, really. Just a joke between two twelve-year-old boys that didn’t mean anything, but Cas couldn’t imagine wanting anyone but Dean. If he couldn’t have him then he would never get married. It was as simple as that._ _


	7. Chapter 7

**LONGING**

“Dean, are you ever coming back to the states?” Cas didn’t mean to sound whiney, but he couldn’t help it. John and Mary had returned three years ago, but Dean wasn’t back yet. He was busy finishing up his masters at Oxford, and while Cas was proud of his friend, he missed him terribly.

“Of course I am. I don’t like Europe enough to stay permanently. I have eight more months and then I’m done. When I get back we’ll go out for burgers and a pint, how does that sound?” Dean had sounded cheerful, but Cas missed him too much to share in that enthusiasm. They’d already spent almost seven years apart. It felt like a million lifetimes. 

“A pint? You’re turning British, Dean,” he teased. Dean laughed on the other end of the line.

“Maybe, but you always said I could use some manners, and so I have them now. I’d think you would be proud of me.” 

Cas smiled softly as he cupped the phone gently with both hands. “I am. I always was though. I just…I miss you. My own studies are over. I doubled up on courses and I’m finished. My job interview is Monday and if I get it, I start right away. I’m both nervous and scared.”

“You’ll ace it; I have faith in you. Did you get my last letter? I stuck pictures in it for you,” Dean said. Cas jumped up from his bed and hurried down the stairs.

“No, when did you send it?”

“Three days ago? You should have it by now,” Dean replied.

“I’m at the mailbox, hold on.” Cas pulled the door open and reached inside. There was a stack of letters and sales ads. It took only a few seconds of searching before he found his friend’s letter. “Got it!”

“Good. I hope you like the pictures. I went to London on holiday with some friends from my history class and we toured the city. I got to ride a trolley and of course I messed with the guards. Overall, it was fun. We’re thinking of heading to France next month for a weekend.” Dean was explaining but Cas was already back in his room, opening the letter and letting the pictures spill out onto his bed. He found one of Dean standing with a group of people, and everyone was smiling. They were standing in front of a pub. Dean had his arm draped around a girl with big brown eyes and long, dark hair. Her arm was around his waist. It made Cas’ stomach twist. He knew this was the girl Dean had been seeing. It had broken his heart to know Dean had been dating, but most of all it hurt that he was dating these pretty girls. He swallowed down the bitterness that was threatening to overwhelm him and looked through the rest of the pictures.

“It looks like you all had a nice time,” he managed to say.

“We did. If we go to France, I want to see all of the places that were in the book The DaVinci Code,” Dean said. Cas set the pictures aside but didn’t bother to read the letter that had been sent with them. He’d look at it later, when he wasn’t on the phone.

“So what have you been up to, besides school and job interviews? Are you seeing anyone?” Dean asked.

“Not currently,” Cas replied. Not ever, actually. He had tried, more than a few times, but nothing ever panned out. And he only ever tried when he knew Dean was in a relationship. 

“So, want to hear about my chemistry course?” Dean asked. Cas laid back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. At least Dean didn’t want to talk about his girlfriend. Thankfully, Dean never talked about them, as though he knew it would upset Cas to do so. Chemistry, when not referring to the kind that occurred between two people, was a safe subject.

“Sure, tell me all about it,” he said.


	8. Chapter 8

**FEELINGS COMING TO LIGHT**

“Hey, Cas, how have you been?” 

He looked up from the newspaper he’d been reading to see a familiar head of red hair coming his way. 

“Charlie!” He set his cup of coffee down and stood up to give his friend a hug before motioning for her to join him.

“So? What’s new in your world?” she asked.

“Well, I landed my dream job. I’m working with an architectural firm, ground level job but they like my work and though I’ve only been there roughly ten months, I’m being considered for a promotion. I’m making good money, and I just got a condo. What about you?” He flagged down a server and Charlie ordered herself a coffee while he ordered a second one for himself.

“I’m doing game designing, and it’s so cool. I’m making a boatload of money and on the weekends I’m doing live action role playing. You still play games?” She hadn’t seen him in several years.

“I do sometimes. It’s not quite the same though,” he admitted. She knew what he was getting at. It wasn’t the same without Dean.

“You still talking to Dean?” 

“I am, every Saturday. He should be calling tonight, actually. We write and we’ve added emailing in, too, along with private chats. For the first time in years I saw him a few weeks back on web cam. He’s definitely grown up,” he replied with a laugh. Charlie smiled.

“When is he coming back? I’m starting to think he’s never going to,” she pouted. Cas’ smile fell away and she could see the sadness in it.

“Yeah, I have asked him that too. He said he was coming home after his degree was finished, but that was like, three months ago, and he’s still in England. I stopped asking.”

Charlie’s heart ached for her friend. She knew how he felt about Dean. How he had always felt. She reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

“He doesn’t know what he’s missing by not coming back.” 

His smile was sad as he nodded at her. “You’re right. He doesn’t know what he’s missing.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They chatted for another hour before she received a call and had to excuse herself. Before she left she made sure to exchange phone numbers and email addresses. Cas came to the little café most Saturday mornings so that he wasn’t sitting alone in his condo all weekend long. He’d seriously been contemplating getting a cat just so he’d have something to keep him company. Once a month, on a Sunday he would drive over to the Winchester house and have dinner with John and Mary. It still felt like his home away from home, and neither of them ever said a word when he would make his way up to Dean’s room and just sit, sometimes for hours on end, reminiscing. Lately he’d even been contemplating taking a trip to England, but he wasn’t sure how Dean would feel about that. In the end he’d just decided to carry on with his own life, going on the occasional date, working, and setting aside the time to talk to Dean. 

As he made the walk back to his condo he ran a list through his head of the things he needed to do before he went back to work Monday. There was laundry, ironing his shirts, the dishes that needed to be loaded into the dishwasher, and he was still trying to decide how he wanted to arrange the furniture in his bedroom. Maybe this weekend would be the time he finally tackled that.


	9. Chapter 9

**HOME**

By six everything he’d wanted to get done was done, save for moving around the furniture in his room. He didn’t have the energy for that so he just headed to the kitchen to have a couple of pieces of the lasagna he’d made for dinner. After putting the food on the plate, he went back into the living room and sat down in front of the television. He was an adult now, no one could tell him he couldn’t eat in his own living room.

Dean called at nine every Saturday night, and Cas already had the phone sitting next to him in anticipation. He was engrossed in a documentary on whale migration and whaling, oblivious of the time so when ten o’clock came and went, he barely noticed. When the documentary ended finally, he realized Dean had never called. A million thoughts went through his head, everything from Dean being hurt to him being out with whatever new girlfriend he might be seeing, and it had Cas freaking out a little bit. Tomorrow night was the once a month dinner with Mary and John, and he was determined to hang on just long enough to his concern until he could talk to them and make sure everything was alright. Just in case, he carried the phone into his room and set it on the table next to his bed. If Dean was running late or maybe had just forgotten, he didn’t want the phone to be in a completely different room if he decided to call. Cas had always told him not to worry about suddenly waking him up. He didn’t care about that. He just wanted to talk to Dean. After brushing his teeth and stripping down to his tee shirt and boxers, he crawled into bed. Slight paranoia made him check the phone to be certain that there was a dial tone and the phone worked. Try as he might though, falling asleep was not easy that night, and it turned out to be the worst night’s sleep of his life, save for the night Dean Winchester up and moved to Europe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You should have called him. It’s cruel what you’re doing. He lives for your phone calls, and you know that. Probably thinks you blew him off in favor of some girl.” Mary glared at her son as she handed over the fresh sheets for his bed. “It’s not right.” Dean chuckled.

“It’s supposed to be a surprise. How can I surprise him if he knows I’m back?” 

She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Do you need anything else?”

“What time does he come for dinner tomorrow night?” he asked.

“He’ll be here at six,” she replied. He chewed on his lower lip for a moment.

“Does he, uh, have a boyfriend?”

His mother’s expression softened as she shook her head. “No. He has tried but no one ever quite measured up to you.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll see you in the morning.” He kissed her cheek.

“Good night, sweetheart.” She closed the door behind herself, leaving him alone in his old room and with all sorts of thoughts in his head. 

Dean had hesitated on returning to the states, not because he didn’t want to come back but because he was terrified that Cas had changed, that he wouldn’t see Dean the way he always had. That Cas wouldn’t love him anymore. It was silly really. He could feel the love the man poured into every single letter, and hear it in his voice on every single phone call, save for the ones he was stupid enough to mention girls on. On those ones he heard the pain and it hurt him knowing he was the cause of it. Cas had never once mentioned anyone he ever dated. He heard about them second hand through his mother, and she only barely mentioned them in passing if he happened to ask. Each one he heard about ignited that long ago feeling deep in his chest that had taken him forever to identify as jealousy. He’d felt it all those years ago with Meg, and he felt it each time he heard Cas had gone out on a date. It had taken him forever to realize that while Cas was gay, he wasn’t exactly razor straight himself. In fact, he happened to like men. A lot. Living in Europe he had become at ease with that side of himself. He wasn’t shunned or teased for his attraction to men. Then had come the years of introspection and self-reflection. It had come as no surprise to him or to his family when he realized he was in love with Cas. And what had he done to the man? He’d stayed longer than he’d anticipated, just because he didn’t know how to come out to his oldest and dearest friend, but mostly because he was afraid to say those three little words in a context that was meant to be outside of the normal friendship description. 

Through girlfriend after girlfriend he’d felt this gnawing guilt just eating at him knowing he was in love with someone else, someone that meant more to him than anything in the world, and so after only a few weeks with his last girlfriend, he’d broken up with her. As many women as he had dated though, he’d only slept with two. Sex with women, as he’d quickly learned, was rather unappealing. Afraid that it might carry over to whatever might or might not become of him and Cas, he’d entered into a brief fling with a guy from his anthropology class. The sex had been mind blowing, and it had led him to further speculate over his orientation. A long, drawn out talk with Sam one night when he’d called home had cleared that up for him. Sam had done some research online while they had been talking and explained that even people that were bisexual could have preferences, and lean one way or the other. A friend Sam had made by the name of Ash identified as bisexual. He liked to date women and he liked to date men, but he much preferred the company of other men, and for him, the sex was better when it was with another man. That cleared things up for Dean. Women were nice to spend time with, but he didn’t really have any sexual feelings towards them, but the pictures Cas had sent him from last summer when he’d gone to the beach? Those had filled him with enough fantasies to last for months. Cas was no longer the skinny kid with the too-big teeth in his mouth. No, somehow Cas had grown up into a sex god. With tanned skin, a toned body, and the face of an angel, he had stolen Dean’s heart all over again. The man was absolutely gorgeous and Dean couldn’t wait to see him again, in the flesh.

He hummed as he made the bed, thinking about all the times Cas had spent the night here, sleeping right in this very bed with him. The times when they had stayed up all night talking about anything and everything, until they couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer and they both crashed hard, only to wake up wrapped in one another’s arms. To others it might have seemed strange, like it was pushing the boundaries of a normal friendship, but for them it had always been normal. He’d carried with him the knowledge that Cas had had a crush on him, and then later he realized that crush had simply grown deeper rather than fading away, and as he, himself got older, he realized he didn’t _want_ that feeling to fade away. He was desperate to know where he stood now with Cas. Would Cas still want him as more than just a friend? And if the answer to that was no, could he manage to hang on to the one person he loved more than anything in the world?


	10. Chapter 10

**DINNER WITH JOHN AND MARY**

“What are you doing tonight, gorgeous?” Balthazar asked. He was leaning across the table, a huge smile on his face that Cas was hard pressed not to return.

“I’m sorry, Bal, but I have plans this evening, and I can’t break them.” No, Cas didn’t give up dinner with the Winchesters unless they had somewhere else to be, and then they made it up to him the following weekend. Not even for this man, with his sparkling blue eyes and sexy accent. Balthazar sighed and slid down until he was sitting across from Cas.

“Could I interest you in drinks tomorrow after work then? There’s a lovely little place that just opened called The Wine Cellar. We could enjoy some wine, listen to music. What do you say?” 

Cas hadn’t heard from Dean that morning, nor had he heard from John or Mary so as far as he knew, his friend was fine. So he had nothing to worry about. He was free to get on with his life, not that he was ever not free. A date with Balthazar actually sounded nice. They’d gone out once or twice before, but had continued to keep things casual at Cas’ request. Balthazar had potential though. He was handsome, smart, funny, and rather persistent. Cas smiled as he rolled his eyes.

“Alright, I’ll meet you there. I get off work at five thirty. Does six work for you?”

“Sounds wonderful, darling. I have to run, I’m meeting some people but I saw you in here, sitting alone and just had to ask. I’ll see you tomorrow night.” Balthazar stood and leaned over to kiss Cas softly on the cheek. “Enjoy your afternoon, handsome.”

And with that, he was gone. Cas sighed and looked down at his half finished plate of pancakes. No one made pancakes as good as Mary Winchester, but he hadn’t had breakfast at their house in close to ten years, so now he settled for the ones here. He picked his fork up and ate a few more bites. After another refill of coffee he paid his bill and headed home. 

The next few hours were spent lounging around watching TV. There were crappy sci-fi movies on and he watched two and a half in a row before his alarm went off, letting him know it was almost time to leave. Not wanting Mary to chastise him again for not cleaning himself up, he headed into the bathroom. After a quick shower and a shave he put on a white button down and jeans. It was only a five minute drive to Mary and John’s, and he was surprised to see the Impala out in the driveway when he arrived. He parked behind it and after taking a moment to admire the car, he headed up to the house and rang the doorbell. Mary opened the door less than a minute later.

“Hello, honey, come on in.” 

He stepped into the house and hugged her before kissing her on the cheek.

“Hello, Mary. How are you?”

“I’m doing well. Arthritis is acting up a little bit but otherwise I’m good. Been working in the garden. You still going to come and plant some things like you said?” she asked as they started down the hall.

“If it’s alright with you, I’d like to plant some flowers that will attract the bees. It will help to pollinate all of those vegetables you planted,” he replied. She nodded.

“That will be fine, there’s plenty of room.” She linked an arm through his. “I made a roast for dinner. I hope you’re hungry. You look tired, did you get enough sleep last night?”

Cas had to smile at the way she still mothered him, always trying to cover all the bases at once.

“No, I actually did not sleep well last night. Dean didn’t call. I was worried about him. Have you heard from him?”

“I have, actually. He’s fine.” She patted his arm. Her simple answer hurt worse than if she had slapped him across the face. His smile faded away.

“It’s alright, honey. Trust me.” She spoke softly and he looked down at her curiously. 

“Uh, where are we going, exactly?” He asked. They had bypassed the kitchen and were actually heading for the back door.

“Well, dinner will be eaten outside this evening, on the back deck. It’s so nice out I thought it would be nice to enjoy the late spring air.. You know, before the heat and humidity set in and no one wants to leave their air conditioning,” she laughed. 

“That sounds nice, actually. Did you need help with setting the table?” On nights when he came to dinner he always helped with setting the table and with cleaning everything up afterwards, just like he’d done when he was a boy.

“No, honey, everything is already set,” she assured him. They reached the back door and she released his arm as she grabbed the knob and twisted it. She pulled door open and pushed the screen door out so they could step out onto the deck. There was a pan sitting on the patio table with two plates and glasses for wine. John was nowhere to be seen.

“Uh, am I missing something?” He asked, tilting his head in confusion as he took in everything on the table. It looked suspiciously like the setup for a date, but Mary wouldn’t do something like that, so who…

Suddenly there were hands covering his eyes and a warm body was pressed up behind him. 

“Guess who.” A deep voice whispered in his ear. He gasped and pushed the hands away as he spun around to find himself face to face with Dean.

“Oh my God!”

Dean grinned. “Hey, Cas.”

Cas threw his arms around his friend’s neck before he could second guess himself and buried his face against the man’s neck. “Dean! I can’t believe you’re here!” 

Dean hugged his friend, losing himself in the incredible feeling of having this man in his arms once again.

“I missed you, Cas.”

“I missed you too, Dean. So much!”

Dean hugged him a little tighter as his mother slipped quietly past them and went back into the house. When Cas finally pulled back he had tears in his eyes. Dean reached up to wipe them away.

“When did you get here? Is that why you didn’t call last night? I thought something might have happened to you!” Cas felt a flash of anger and punched Dean in the arm.

“Ow! Yes, I just got in yesterday morning and I am dealing with one hell of a case of jet lag. I took my mother’s advice and stayed up for twenty four hours before I left, so when I got here yesterday I was ready to collapse. I felt bad about missing our call considering we never missed one before, but really, I was so exhausted. I fell asleep the moment I laid down last night, but woke up after a few hours. I took two naps today and I’m tired, but I wanted to surprise you.”

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Cas’ smile faltered and then faded into a look of concern. “Wait, how long are you here for?”

“I’m here to stay. I took a teaching position at the university. You’re stuck with me.” Dean replied. Cas’ eyes widened, and Dean was in awe of just how blue they were. Cas was even more beautiful in person. 

“I don’t consider it ‘stuck’ Dean, so much as I do blessed. I’m so happy to have you back here.” He hugged Dean again and Dean got the impression that his friend was afraid if he let go, he’d find out this was all just an illusion.

“I’m really here, Cas. And I’m never leaving you again,” he said softly as he ran a hand up and down his friend’s back reassuringly. Cas sniffled as he laid his head on Dean’s shoulder. Dean was content to just stand like this, holding Cas in his arms, but he could hear his friend’s stomach rumbling. He pulled back enough that he could reach down and take Cas’ hand. Cas looked down at where their fingers were intertwined with a mixture of confusion and awe as he was led over to the table. Dean motioned for him to sit, so he did.

“Where are Mary and John?” Cas asked.

“They went out to dinner tonight. I hope it’s ok that it’s just us tonight.” Dean was serving generous slices of the pre-cut roast along with homemade mashed potatoes and green beans while Cas looked around at everything on the table. It still felt oddly like this was a date, and he didn’t know what to think. Maybe Dean just didn’t realize it.

“Would you like some wine?” Dean looked over at him and Cas nodded.

“I’d love some.”

Dean had a bottle chilling in an ice bucket on one of the free patio chairs, and he opened it to pour some into both of their glasses.

“How was the flight? I know you don’t like flying.” Cas smiled as Dean handed one of the glasses to him.

“It was awful. That added to my stress too. I had to see a doctor and get a sedative just to fly home. And I still couldn’t sleep on the plane. I was tense the entire flight. It’s going to take some adjusting to get used to the time change. It sucked the first time going, but it sucked worse coming back.” He smiled at Cas as he lifted his own glass. “But it was worth it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They talked as they ate their dinner and when the temperature began to drop and the night grew cooler, they cleaned everything up and moved inside. Cas started on the dishes while Dean stored the leftovers.

“You pitch in every time you come to dinner?” Dean asked him.

“I do, yes. They’re feeding me so I feel it is only right to help clean up and do the dishes. I think Mary appreciates a night of not having to do them,” Cas replied. Dean chuckled as he moved over to the counter next to Cas. He leaned back against it and watched as Cas rinsed a plate and set it in the dish rack.

“So you got your own place, huh? What’s that like not being tortured constantly by your brothers?” 

Cas smiled and shook his head. “It’s wonderful. Gabe is still at home. It was almost a relief that first night going to sleep without bologna tucked into my pillow cases or crickets in my sock drawer.”

“Sounds like he has upped his game,” Dean laughed. 

“From pranks to low-level torture, I suppose yes, he has,” Cas agreed.

When Cas finished the last of the dishes Dean nodded towards the living room. “Come sit with me. I want to talk.”

Cas cocked his head as he followed Dean to the couch. “I thought that’s what we’ve been doing?”

“Well, yeah, but mostly that’s just catching up. Not that we had a whole lot of that to do since we stay pretty current on one another’s lives.”

“Ok, well, what did you want to talk about?” Cas was looking up at him with those large blue eyes that he had missed so much. How many nights had he lain in bed thinking of Cas’ smile, of his laugh? Of these eyes? It was amazing how deep the man’s voice had gotten after puberty. It was deep and velvety, and he loved it. He took a moment to study his friend’s face. There was no distance between them now, he wasn’t forced to look through a camera or at pictures to see the face he loved so much. 

“Dean, you’re staring,” Cas teased. The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement as he watched his friend’s cheeks redden.

“Sorry, it’s just….cameras and pictures aren’t the same as seeing you again in person. It’s weird. We never lost touch, and we have always traded pics and stuff, but for some reason I expected to come back and see the same skinny, gangly fifteen-year-old kid that I’d left behind. You grew up, Cas.” Dean turned so that he was facing the other man, folding one leg under the other so he could move a bit closer. Cas was watching him closely, and he could almost feel the man’s curiosity. 

“You’ve grown up as well, Dean. You’re even more handsome than you were as a boy.” Cas gave a nervous smile, as though he wasn’t sure he was allowed to say things like that. 

“Thank you. I was actually thinking the same thing about you.” Dean tried not to let his own nervousness show as Cas’ eyes widened.

“What?”

“Yeah, there’s a few things I wanted to talk to you about. Hopefully nothing I’m about to say will make you walk out of my life. I don’t think I could stand it if you did.” Dean’s hand tightened on his own knee as he sought out something, anything to ground him and keep him from fleeing. 

“Dean, I love you, there’s nothing you could ever say that would make me not want you in my life. Even if you told me you were a serial killer, which, I truly hope that is not what you’re about to say.” Cas turned a bit so he was facing Dean directly. “So tell me what is on your mind.”

“I missed you so much, Cas. You really have no idea.” Dean gave a small laugh that belied his nerves. 

“I missed you too, Dean. If it wasn’t for Charlie I might not have been around for you to come home to. I didn’t want to be here without you. She was my rock when I needed her to be. Everyone else turned their backs on me after you left. I don’t think I’ve talked to Benny since junior year of high school, and he used to come play games all the time with us. I lost touch with Charlie after high school and just ran back into her yesterday. It’s good to have her back.” 

Dean felt his heart leap into his throat hearing Cas had actually contemplated killing himself. He reached out and grabbed his friend’s hand. “No! I told you I was coming back! Why would you even entertain thoughts like that?!”

Cas’ smile was sad. “Because after you left, I realized who my real friends were. I didn’t have any, save for Charlie. No one liked me or wanted to spend time with me, and I-I didn’t tell you, but I was bullied pretty bad once kids found out I was gay. I dealt with it though because Charlie told me I could. She believed in me. So I concentrated on my homework, I joined theatre, and I found a way to not hurt. You were my best friend, Dean. I got along better with you than I did my own family most of the time, and then one day you weren’t there anymore. It took me a long time to adjust to you not being there. I’m just glad you didn’t forget about me.”

Dean shook his head as he felt his throat tightening. He was determined not to cry though. 

“Come here.” He pulled Cas closer and wrapped him up in a warm hug that his friend melted into, just like he’d done when they were kids.

“I tried to run away, you know that? After we got to Germany. We got settled pretty quick in the new house, but I missed you so much that I packed my stuff up one night and slipped out my bedroom window. I got as far as Frankfurt by using my allowance money, but I couldn’t buy a plane ticket. My dad caught up to me though and brought me back. I cried the whole way back. I just wanted to come home, be here, have my old life back, and I couldn’t. You told me to make the best of things, and I really did try. I did well in school, I studied hard, and I got into Oxford of all places. Me! Oxford! It was an opportunity that I had to jump at. But I wanted so bad to come home. I knew I’d always come back to you.” He buried his face in the crook of Cas’ neck, breathing in the scent of the man’s soap and laundry detergent. Cas smelled like heaven, and like everything he had been missing all these years.

“But you didn’t come back when you graduated. I thought….” Cas hugged him tighter. “I thought you had changed your mind, that you had met someone and didn’t want to come back here.”

“No, dude, Europe, it’s not for me. I’m a Kansas man, born and bred. Seriously, I never thought I’d be happy to see corn and soy growing, but the whole way home from the airport I stared at them and felt overwhelming happiness. I’m home. This is home, not Germany, not England. I’m back where I belong. I-I didn’t come back right away because…I was sort of…scared.” Dean let Cas pull back and look up at him.

“Scared of what? Did you think things would be weird between us? Or that it would be hard to adjust to life here again?”

Dean shook his head. “No, none of that, not really. I, um, I need to tell you a couple of things.”

Cas sat quietly, waiting for him to find the right words. He’d always been incredibly patient, even when Dean didn’t deserve it.

“So I did a lot of thinking and stuff after I moved away. And I thought about some things that I had tried to ignore, and some other things that I was just too young to figure out at the time, like…” He took Cas’ hand again. “How I really feel about you.”

Cas was staring at their hands where they were resting on Dean’s knees, fingers intertwined as his heart pounded in his chest. What was happening? What was this? When he finally looked up again he could see Dean was watching him closely. It dawned on him suddenly that Dean was using present tense, not past tense when he spoke of his feelings.

“Feel? Not…felt?”

“No, Cas. How I feel about you. How I’ve always felt about you.”

Cas blinked several times as his lips formed a perfect ‘O’. Dean realized he was scaring the hell out of his friend and that he should probably just get to the point.

“I love you, Cas. I-I’m not straight. I guess I should have said that first. And I guess I was hoping when I came back you might give me a chance? I know I probably don’t deserve it, but…” 

He didn’t get to finish talking before Cas’ lips were pressed against his own. There was no hesitation on Dean’s part as he pulled Cas into his arms and kissed him back. It felt like every fantasy he’d ever had was suddenly coming true. 

“Dean, you’re serious? This is for real?” Cas whispered the words against his lips, making him smile.

“Yeah, and I’m guessing this is something you want too?”

Cas pressed himself up against Dean so that he could lay his head on the man’s shoulder. “This is what I’ve wanted since I was eleven years old. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Dean was about to say something about the bet in seventh grade they had made when they heard keys in the front door. He stood up, pulling Cas up with him. Cas looked up in confusion.

“Hey Mom, Dad? I’m going with Cas back to his place. I’ll see you maybe in a few days, ok?” 

Mary smiled knowingly at her son before looking at John who had an amused smile.

“Sounds good. Remember, you start work next Monday,” John reminded him. Dean was already starting for the door and pulling Cas along behind him.

“Yeah, didn’t forget, love you guys, see you later.” Dean was out the door and down the stairs but Cas stopped to hug both Mary and John.

“I’m sorry he’s being rude. I did the dishes, and he put the food away. I’ll see you at our next dinner?”

“Honey, I think we’ll be seeing you every Sunday from now on,” Mary laughed. “So I’ll see you next week. Be good, and take care of Dean. He needs you.” She pulled him down so she could kiss his forehead.

“I will, I promise,” he told her. 

As they watched Cas hurry out of the house after Dean, John slipped an arm around his wife’s waist and pulled her close.

“Looks like our boys are finally together in the way we always knew they would be, huh, Mama.”

She smiled up at her husband. “That they are. I think Dean’s finally going to be happy.” John nodded in agreement.

“I think you’re right.”


	11. Chapter 11

**TWO YEARS LATER**

“This was one of the nicest weddings I’ve ever been to. You both looked so incredibly handsome as you exchanged your vows. I’m so happy for you both.” 

Cas hugged his cousin Lena before she turned to Dean and hugged him too. 

“Thank you. And we’re so glad you could make it,” Dean told her. Cas smiled at his husband as he chatted briefly with the woman. It was still so surreal knowing that Dean was his husband, and that he loved Cas just as much as Cas loved him. His gaze dropped to the hand Dean was motioning with. Left hand, where the silver band that Cas had slipped onto it not a half hour earlier now sat. His heart swelled with love as he replayed in his head the moment Dean had said yes, he would take Cas as his husband, now and for the rest of his life. He was pretty sure there was no moment in life better than that one. Lena moved on and it came time for them to walk into the reception and sit down at the table at the front of the room. People cheered as Dean took his hand and they made their way down the center of the room to the table. They waved at family and friends as they went. Once they were sitting Dean scooted his chair over and draped one arm across the back of Cas’ chair as he leaned in close. He alternated between whispering words of love in his husband’s ear and kissing his face and neck, and it left Cas with a huge, dopey grin on his face that he couldn’t shake. The reception itself was like something out of a dream. They danced, they ate, they had fun, and as the night wound down and people began to head out, Dean led Cas into a corner by the bar.

“I have something for you,” he said as he pulled an envelope out of the inside pocket of his suit jacket. 

“What is it?” Cas asked as he accepted it.

“Open it and find out.” Dean was smiling wide, and Cas couldn’t help but wonder what was inside of the envelope. He broke the seal and slid the piece of paper out. 

“What the…” Cas gasped as he opened it and a twenty dollar bill fell out, fluttering to the floor. When he looked at the paper itself his jaw dropped. It was the note they had been passing in their social studies class all those years ago. The one where Cas had challenged Dean, and the other boy had accepted it. In red letters, just under Dean’s last words of _“You’re on!”_ was written _“You won”_.

“I’m glad, too. I love you, Cas. More than anything in the entire world.” Dean leaned down to pick the money up. When he stood up again he tucked it into his husband’s pocket. 

“I love you too, Dean. I always have.” Cas wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck and kissed him softly.

“I’m happy that you never gave up on me.” Dean smiled and kissed him again.

“Mmmm, and I told you that I could predict the future.”

They were still laughing about the bet all the way to Jamaica for their honeymoon.

**Author's Note:**

> ALL CHAPTERS WILL BE UP SHORTLY!!!
> 
> I do hope that you enjoyed this one. It was a blast to write. Comments are welcome, as always, and I thank you all for reading this. 
> 
> Now, a little heads up....
> 
> So, my older daughter also writes fan fics, though they are not Destiel. She just put up the first chapter of her very first AO3 fic. She has written on Wattpad before this. If any of you happen to be gamers and like the game Left for Dead 2, she is writing a very interesting story based on the characters. It's chock full of action and the sassy, sarcastic dialog is a sneak peak into my daughter's mind. She is by nature a sarcastic person, just like me. 
> 
> See, this is a big deal because my daughter has Asperger's, just like me, and she is rather self conscious. She thinks her writing isn't good enough. I heartily disagree. I love her story and think she is doing a fabulous job with it. Even if you don't follow the game, maybe you just want to support a girl with a dream? She's also writing her very own book, and kudos on her stories help give her the self-confidence she needs in order to want to keep writing it. Her OCD makes her write a couple hundred pages and then go back to edit later, and she ends up nit picking it to death until she just deletes it all and starts from scratch again. So here is the link in case anyone is interested.
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/6470536/chapters/14811091?show_comments=true&view_full_work=false#main
> 
> We here at AO3 are a family, and support is always welcome!


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